David Robertson has rejoined the Philadelphia Phillies’ active roster, marking his third stint with the team. The 40-year-old reliever was signed on July 21 to a prorated $16 million contract for the remainder of the season and spent three weeks at Triple-A Lehigh Valley before being recalled ahead of Sunday’s game against the Texas Rangers.
Robertson had not started a professional baseball season without a team since 2006, his final year at the University of Alabama. During his time away from baseball this year, he spent more time with family, played golf, worked on his farm, and tried tennis to stay active. “As the months started to tick by and I couldn’t win in any of my tennis matches, I started to think, ‘Well, I better go try to do baseball again,'” Robertson said. “I was getting that itch to win at something again.”
The Phillies brought Robertson back as part of their efforts to strengthen their bullpen for a postseason run. “I’m very excited to be back,” Robertson said. “This is the only level I’ve ever known for the past 20 years, so I’m ready to step back in between the lines and see if I can help this team out.”
Philadelphia’s bullpen has seen several changes recently. After signing Robertson, they acquired closer Jhoan Duran from Minnesota. Duran has converted each of his first three save opportunities without allowing a baserunner. Other relievers have also performed well: Matt Strahm has posted a 1.98 ERA since July began; Orion Kerkering holds a 1.67 ERA since May; Tanner Banks has recorded a 1.77 ERA over his last 21 appearances.
José Alvarado will be eligible to return on August 19 but is not available for postseason play.
“It’s really changed over a short period of time,” manager Rob Thomson said about the bullpen’s improvement. “I think we’ve added some real quality, and there’s a lot of options out there to go to.” He added about Robertson: “He’s a calming influence… He’s been through it before — World Series, playoff runs. He’s a good guy for the younger guys to kind of lean on and learn from.”
Robertson said he is willing to pitch whenever needed as he settles into his role: “I’ll just have to find a spot where I fit in there and work my way up into the ‘pen to figure out how I can help us win,” he said. “I don’t really care when I pitch, I’ve always said that. So whatever it takes, whenever they want to put me in, I’ll give it everything I got.”
His previous stints with Philadelphia included signing before the 2019 season but appearing in only seven games due to injury requiring elbow surgery that sidelined him through 2020. He returned via trade in 2022 and contributed during their National League pennant run that year.
Robertson posted strong numbers during that postseason with four scoreless innings in the World Series and an overall career postseason ERA of 3.04 across more than 47 innings.
“It feels like I didn’t really leave. It’s great to come back in here and know more than half the team,” Robertson said about returning after several years away from Philadelphia’s clubhouse. “This place feels like home. We had a good run in ’22, and then [for] a few years I disappeared, and now I’m back. And I’m happy to be back here in Philly.”
